Ugly Fruit & Veggies May Pack Extra Nutrients – Get to Know Them!

(Dr. Mercola) A new initiative has been spawned in the U.S., patterned after a similar effort in France focused on marketing unlovely produce such as “the grotesque apple and the ridiculous potato.”

The premise is built on the realization that just because these foods may have an inferior exterior in comparison with the beautiful darlings on display in fruit baskets, it doesn’t mean they’re not edible and nutritious.

Especially in wealthy countries like the U.S., it’s only the most perfect specimens that grace produce shelves — the crop version of the Rockettes, all having the same shape, uniform skin and general appeal.

For the Love of Ugly

One of the biggest flaws in society is that perfection is practically deified. One thing this ideal has led to is the wholesale waste of fresh, misfit produce that has been deemed unmarketable.

The downside of having plenty is that people feel they have room to be discriminating.

Anything “flawed” needs to go away, so it does — into the garbage heap. Unfortunately, the amount of pitched fruits and vegetables has been estimated at around one-third of what is produced — around 133 billion pounds of food per year.

The sad fact is we’re all to blame. Whether we’re consumers who allow good food to deteriorate in little plastic coffins in our refrigerators, or obsessive “safety first” freaks who actually believe they should purge anything past its so-called “sell-by” date, there aren’t many of us who aren’t guilty of this type of squander.

Growers sorting bumper crops of fruits and vegetables for the marketplace regularly toss produce that isn’t necessarily the best looking, or they simply plow it under.

Food is the Largest Material in U.S. Landfills

Fresh foods are perishable, obviously, but rather than finding someone close by who needs it, the easiest course is to cart it to the nearest landfill. In fact, these once viable foods are what take up the most space in landfills. According to one PBS article:

“Now food is the largest material in our landfills. Of all the things that are in our dumps, the biggest portion is food. And when it rots in a landfill, it emits methane, which is a very potent greenhouse gas, 30 or 100 times more potent than carbon dioxide.”¹

A cauliflower, for instance, might have yellow patches; it might just be considered too large. Although it’s crispy, tasty — everything a cauliflower is supposed to be — these are routinely rejected. Perfectly fine peaches that aren’t flawless perfection might end up as cattle feed.

There are multiple points at which waste is generated in a growing operation. One of the problems farmers have is that when prices fluctuate between planting and harvest to the degree that taking it to market isn’t even worth it, the easiest course is the landfill. Some produce goes bad in transport or in processing.

A Natural Resources Defense Council report estimated that as much as 30 percent of some farmers’ crops never make it to market. Another problem with this is that those crops were watered needlessly, and most are well aware of the water shortage in the western U.S.

The Land of Misfit Produce Has Been Found to Be Healthier

Some researchers believe fruits and vegetables that are misshapen, bearing nicks or what have you, may actually have higher antioxidant content. One orchard owner in Virginia suggested that stress may even help create super fruit.

She conducted an off-grid test to compare the nutritional value of both marred and unmarred Parma apples from her orchard, and reported that the ones with blemishes were sweeter by 2 percent to 5 percent — a bonus for her since the sweetest apples produce the tastiest cider.

It’s already well known that organic food is healthier. One reason is because of whatsn’t there — it isn’t loaded down with pesticide residues and other toxins. A 2012 study² revealed that organic produce contains as much as 40 percent more antioxidants than conventionally grown varieties.

Among those antioxidants are innumerable elements such as carotenoids, flavonoids, phenolic acids and many other health-promoting nutrients. Those may or may not be present in spite of weather and pests, but because of them.

This truly may be a case where what doesn’t kill (organic fruits and vegetables) makes them stronger!

Interestingly, organic produce isn’t just safer to eat, it contains more of what we eat food for — to ingest the vitamins and minerals we need to maintain health; to literallymake food our medicine and medicine our food, as Hippocrates advised.

The ugli fruit gets a gold star in this regard. It has thick, yellow-green skin so loose, lumpy and leathery that anyone who didn’t know better might pass it by.

But studies show it contains 11 antioxidant, free-radical-scavenging and iron-reducing compounds and flavonoids, is anti-inflammatory, antiviral, anti-allergic, and significantly reduced smoke-induced carcinogens.

Its compounds may help protect against viral infections, allergies, and fungal conditions, and its peel contains coumarin, which may protect against tumorous cancers.³

Don’t Pitch It — Redirect It

Countless organizations are dedicated to feeding the hungry. Shelters, food banks and soup kitchens are there for this purpose. Some have devised innovative ways to convince restaurant and grocery store owners to funnel rejected produce, which very often is perfectly fine, to such places rather than to the landfill.

One program is the EPA’s Food Recovery Challenge,⁴ dedicated to reducing the amount of food wasted in the U.S. (possibly inspired by the European Union, which declared 2014 as the Year Against Food Waste⁵).

In fact, a Harvard-based conference titled, “Reduce & Recover: Save Food For People,”⁶ “prioritizes actions people can take to reduce and recover wasted food.”

Another project called Imperfect Produce⁷ was designed to offer not-so-perfect plant-based foods for a drastically discounted price, working with Whole Foods and other retailers.

The company delivers “wonky”-looking fruits and veggies from several Southern California locations to homes and offices. The goal is to expand to other areas across the U.S. Imperfect Produce was designed after a French endeavor called Inglorious produce, its goal to market “the grotesque apple, and the ridiculous potato.”

Unfortunately, as one farmer related, getting foods destined for the rubbish heap into the hands of someone who’ll eat it is not free:

“There’s got to be an economic incentive to move more of this into an avenue that food banks could take advantage of. It’s a lot easier and cheaper just to basically throw it away.”⁸

Farmers in seven states get tax credits for donating produce, but food banks have been lobbying for larger deductions.

It’s What’s on the Inside That Counts

Restaurants and grocery stores on the other end of the operation perpetrate a staggering amount of waste themselves, but a few, including Safeway and Giant Eagle, have jumped on board to find a home for cosmetically challenged, plant-based foods.

An example of how Raley’s western-based grocery chain tackled the dilemma of wasted food is fairly straightforward: They opted to start selling produce that doesn’t necessarily appear flawless, and at a 25 percent or greater discount.

The “Real Good” program — the first of its kind in the U.S. — focuses on fruits and vegetables described as “scarred (or) aesthetically challenged,” but with imperfections so insignificant consumers often can’t tell why it was ever considered a reject.

“The grocer said qualifying produce is uniquely shaped, sized or colored, but otherwise the same in flavor and quality as standard produce offerings. Among the “Real Good” offerings are plums, peppers and pears that will be offered at prices 25 percent to 30 percent lower than flawlessly shaped, uniformly colored produce.”⁹

Heirloom Fruits and Vegetables — Our Last, Best Hope

Many people who grow their “real food” do so for more reasons than the enjoyment of getting dirt under their fingernails. In many cases it’s because they know using seeds that are the “real thing” — not hybrids crossed from two or more varieties, but open-pollinated and sometimes saved from actual produce — may have advantages many have never considered.

Why would anybody go to the trouble of soaking, scraping, drying and carefully preserving the seeds from their garden produce, or tracking down heirloom seed varieties to grow in their gardens, when they can purchase all the seeds they want down the street for just a few dollars? Turns out there are many motivations:

Heirloom varieties aren’t laced with pesticides and other harmful chemicals, such as GMOs.
Heirloom foods taste better. Many people today have no idea what some foods are supposed to even taste like, because beauty has replaced flavor in the marketplace. But the originally created model of foods like delicious, meaty tomatoes and nutty, buttery squash exist only from seeds saved, protected, and sometimes handed down through several generations.
Heirloom vegetables and fruits often contain superior nutrition. While the bottom line is profit, and profit is maintained by offering more and more of the prettiest peaches, carrots and lettuce, growers have gotten into the habit of planting for a continual bumper crop of higher yields. But it turns out that the practice has backfired; the highest nutrients are often found to be significantly higher in those older varieties.¹⁰
Heirloom seeds are open-pollinated, meaning you can save and plant the seeds from year to year. They produce plants with offerings that are true to type, which is more often than not, not the case with hybrids.
Heirlooms produce less-uniform crops, so they ripen at different times. While large farming operations like everything to reach maturity at the same time so they can pick everything all at once, home gardeners get the advantage of harvesting produce as they need it.

Heirloom seeds are also less expensive — even free. It just stands to reason that if you save your seeds from year to year, you’ll pay literally nothing, other than your time. And the result will be just as mouth-wateringly delicious as last year.

Scientific ‘Improvement’ Not What the Doctor Ordered

Mother Earth News reported:

“A lot of the breeding programs for modern hybrids have sacrificed taste and nutrition,” says George DeVault, executive director of Seed Savers Exchange, the leading nonprofit organization dedicated to saving and sharing heirloom and other rare seeds. “The standard Florida tomato is a good example. Instead of old-time juicy tangy tomatoes, it tastes like cardboard.

It was bred to be picked green and gas-ripened because that’s what was needed for commercial growing and shipping.”¹¹

A perfect example of what happens when something like an apple is scientifically targeted for genetic perfection is the Red Delicious apple. These delectable apples with unique coloring and crisp, juicy flavor were America’s favorite for nearly 75 years — until selective breeding rendered them not only unpopular but also virtually inedible.

What happened? Well, when a grower noticed a single branch on a Red Delicious tree produced red apples sooner than the rest, an all-out campaign began among orchard owners to “out-breed” their competitors. The hope was that grafting branches from the source tree might produce ever-more-beautiful apples. What they got instead was a mealy, tasteless mush no one wanted to eat, even though the outside looked gorgeous.

As the old saying goes, beauty is only skin deep. Other fruits and vegetables, unfortunately, have been similarly “messed with,” especially in this age of growers and grocers counting heavily on produce appearing as attractive when it’s unloaded as when it’s picked.

Saving Food in Order to Save People Starts with Caring

It’s not just to keep available food from being wasted. The ultimate goal should be to feed people who are hungry. According to Paul Ash from the California Association of Food Banks:

“Fifty million Americans don’t know where their next meal is coming from. We, meanwhile, are wasting this — all this food. If we cut our food waste even by a third, there would be enough food for all those people who don’t know where their next meal is coming from to be fully fed.”¹²

The question begs to be asked: With all the hunger in the world — much of it in our own communities–aren’t there more ways this obscene waste can be redirected to do some good?

Five Super Protein-Rich Vegan Foods for Healthy Living

Healthy living is usually based upon the concept of meeting nutritional needs and eating plenty of high protein foods, which balances the equation of other required nutrients.

However, if you’re a vegetarian, it can be quite tough to meet your protein requirements without any meat-based products. Since that’s the case, here are five meat-free options that can help you reach your nutritional goals.

Nutritional Yeast

If you’ve never heard of nutritional yeast, you’ve been missing out. This is one of the best kept vegetarian secrets when it comes to complete plant-based protein sources.

Nutritional yeast is actually harvested from molasses and has a similar texture and consistency to parmesan cheese. At 14 grams per ounce, nutritional yeast is an easy way to add thickness and “cheesy” flavor to pasta sauces or even popcorn.

Brewer’s yeast. This type of yeast is grown from hops (a by-product of brewing beer), and has been around since beer making began. It can be consumed by humans, used to fortify other products, or even given to pets.

Pure nutritional yeast. This is usually grown from sugar cane, beet molasses, or wood pulp. And it’s grown specifically for the purpose of human food consumption.

Nutritional yeast, which is not to be confused with Active Dry Yeast or Brewer’s Yeast, is a deactivated form of the microorganism Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The yeast is pasteurized and placed in a dryer to deactivate the yeast and bring out its nutritional properties. The yeast, which is gluten free, has a flavor reminiscent of cheese and is rich in amino acids, B-complex vitamins, niacin, folic acid, zinc, selenium and thiamine. Bob’s Red Mill’s nutritional yeast has been fortified with vitamin B-12, as well. Nutritional yeast is popular with vegetarians and vegans whose diets can be deplete of B-complex vitamins, especially B-12.” – Bob’s Red Mill

Quinoa

A species of the goosefoot grain, quinoa is typically known for its edible seeds and complete amino acid profile. It tips the scales at 24 grams per uncooked cup and also boasts high levels of manganese, copper, and magnesium.

Quinoa can be whipped up in around 15 minutes and contains double the amount of fiber compared to most grains. If you enjoy heartier grains with a nutty texture, quinoa is the perfect choice for you.

Buckwheat

Buckwheat is another rice alternative that actually comes from a fruit seed derivative. If a person does not tolerate gluten well, buckwheat is an excellent alternative.

There is actually research showing that those who consume (on average) 4 ounces of buckwheat a day actually improved their LDL to HDL ratio and reduce their serum cholesterol levels.

Beans

Beans are a vegetarian’s dream food – high in protein and antioxidants, low in cost, and plentiful in fiber, vitamins, and minerals. What’s not to love?

Not only that, research has shown that a moderate bean intake can be linked to lower incidences of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain forms of cancer.

Lentils and beans can offer anywhere from 8-22 grams of protein per cup depending on the type of bean consumed.

Just remember to soak beans and lentils prior to cooking to release health damaging enzyme inhibitors.

Plant Based Protein Powders

The plant-based protein market has exploded lately. There are isolate variations ranging from soy, hemp, wheat, rice, and even pea to fulfill any amino acid deficiencies you might have through your nutrition. A few companies offer complete proteins with all of the essential amino acids. Do your research and choose carefully to make sure that your supplementation choice is rightly based upon your current nutritional intake. Protein isolates are more easily digested, and are often used by those who have a hard time assimilating protein, but isolates tend to be acidic and can damage the body for various reasons (especially whey isolates) if taken for long periods of time.

Mastering a Healthy Nutrition

Don’t fall into the trap of believing there’s a “one size fits all” approach when it comes to reaching your goals. When it comes to your health and fitness goals, protein is certainly essential, but you don’t always have to choose a meat-based option. With a little knowledge and personal research, you can easily reach your daily minimums and still eat foods that you enjoy.

Sources:

The Rebirth of Broth – The Peasants’ Superfood

Restore Joints, Blood Vessels, Skin, Bone, Intestines, and More…

We argue over the great nutritional deficiencies of our time. Some say Omega 3s, others propose low mineral levels like magnesium, selenium, and zinc while still others cite the lack of every vitamin, fruit, vegetable, herb, spice, and amino acid. Sure! They are all correct, more or less.

Maybe the most overlooked deficiency is simply real soup, not the stuff in a can. The easily absorbed proteins and minerals once found in the peasant’s soup pot are absent in today’s popular boneless/skinless chicken breast or other foods of convenience. Any fish or animal carcass plus a mix of veggies and herbs has always been the ticket to restoring the human “carcass.” Broth bars are springing up around the country in the footsteps of juice bars as healthy choices over fast foods and vending machine snackage.

Strong Statement, Undeniable Biochemistry

The epidemic of arthritis, heart/artery and bowel disease, rampant sports injuries, skin problems, and skeletal erosion is largely due to the lack of soup and Vitamin C, which is critical for collagen synthesis. Collagen is the substance that cartilage joint surfaces, spinal discs, tendons, ligaments, bones, blood vessels, lymphatics, fascia, fat cells, mucous membranes, and beautiful skin are made from. These connective tissues are the mud and straw of our bodies, the glue and fiber that hold us together and even act as an internal electric grid.

Homemade soups contain a raft of proteins, including the amino acids lysine and proline emphasized by Linus Pauling along with glucosamine/chondrotin sulfate and hyaluronic acid plus all the phosphorous and other minerals that leach from bone and cartilage. You may note these contents in various arthritis supplements and see Vitamin C/collagen appearing on labels of high-end beauty and wrinkle creams.

Stocks can be used in dozens of ways besides soup to slurp with a spoon. The best gravies, sauces, stews, and gumbos start with stocks, and grains like rice and quinoa can be cooked in stock.

How-To in a Nutshell

Chicken soup is fine, but imagine fish heads, shrimp shells, deer bones, wild duck, and turkey carcasses along with the standard beef, pork, and lamb. In a pinch, and for strong gelatin, grab some split pig feet and tails and gnaw the skin and cartilage, too. Connoisseurs prefer to simmer beef bones for 24-36 hours, but 6 hrs is plenty for beef stew in my kitchen. Some roast bones first to add flavor. All the others make fine stocks in under two hours of gentle cooking, more like simmering than hard boiling. Fish stocks of smallish non-oily saltwater species may be the most nutrient diverse — just gut, snip out gills, and rinse in brine.

All it takes is a big stainless steel pot, water, sea salt, pepper, garlic, onion, celery, and acidic vinegar, lemon juice, or tomatoes to ensure maximum mineral release. Fishhead stocks also require a fine screen to strain scales. Any vegetable, herbs like thyme, basil, bay, oregano and even ginger, turmeric, pineapple skins, hot peppers, potatoes, noodles and rice work. Check recipes on the Internet and use your imagination, because anything goes. Vegetables can be steamed or roasted separately or added near the end to prevent overcooking. The thickness of gelatin upon refrigeration is proof positive of success, and gels themselves are full of richly structured water. Reheat only the portion to be consumed. Fresh stocks can be frozen.

Plan a Protocol

Soups and extra vitamin C are standard maintenance when you are healthy, but if you are facing any symptoms like gum disease, arthritis, skin problems, joint sprains, digestive issues, or even colds or sinus infections, raise the doses. Higher doses might include pig feet or fish soup plus 3-5 oral megadoses of Vitamin C/baking soda per day, every day, until you are completely healed. Expect results and improvement with some issues in days and weeks to possibly a month or two for joint/tendon/ligament/cartilage healing where vasculature is sparse. When joint problems and sports injuries are slow to heal, patience is an asset, yet you can always try to accelerate the process of rebuilding and regenerating tissues, molecule by molecule.

More oxygen means more healing cell energy with reduced acidity and inflammation for any injury, infection, or concussion. Try five to ten minutes of pure oxygen (or sessions of hyper-ventilation exercise) several times a day up to HBOT treatments for more severe complaints.

Alkalizing the system with bicarbonate of soda, apple cider vinegar, and magnesium supplements moves more O2.

You can raise circulation with cayenne, niacin, sauna, exercise, and massage to move oxygen and lymphatic wastes. Anti-inflammatory polyphenol-packed herbals like ginger, turmeric, garlic and MSM sulfur internally, and cannabis oil, magnesium oil, and capsaicin creams externally reduce pain and swelling. Pauling also recommended vitamin E.

Pulsed lasers are winning acclaim for joint pains among chiropractors and veterinarians.

Pain is a great motivator, driving many to drink, drugs, and surgeries. Understanding body chemistry and acquiring the simple art of making healing soups is worth more than gold when you consider the alternative.

Animal vs. Plant Protein – What’s Better?

Starting a conversation about protein sources between a vegan and a meat eater is a lot like discussing politics or religion with a stranger. More often than not, it’s not going to end peacefully. However, there are many myths and inaccurate claims made on both sides of the fence with regards to protein intake and the best sources, and it’s time to clear it up.

Calorie Content

One of the first big debates with animal vs. plant protein is calorie content. Meat eaters will argue that you need to eat far more vegetables than you do meat in order to get a beneficial amount of protein. In fact, some will argue that you will basically starve trying to get enough protein while spending your entire day eating.

It’s true that vegetables have a lower caloric density than meat. Yes, you would have to consume more volume to equal the same amount of protein. But this may be a moot point. Unless you are training moderately to heavily, the protein content you require could easily be met by a vegetarian diet. Furthermore, a lower calorie vegetarian diet is easier on the digestive system than a diet with animal protein (largely due to meat being cooked).

If you train intensely, it will be more difficult to meet your caloric needs on plant protein alone. This is where meat can help pick up the slack and provide you with the extra calories you may require. For example, a 3oz serving of steak provides 174 calories and delivers 26 grams of complete protein. A 3oz serving of cooked quinoa provides 34 calories and delivers 3.5 grams of complete protein.

If you feel you require more calories with protein, for whatever reason, animal meat is definitely an easy option. And it is the only way many people are going to get enough protein. Due to the lack of produce and other whole foods in our diet, most people’s vegan protein comes from soy and other unhealthy ingredients in processed foods. Not only are these foods highly processed and toxic, the proteins are difficult for the body to assimilate and they cause a host of health issues.

Complete vs Incomplete

One of the most cited points in an animal vs. plant protein debate is the fact that animals provide a complete protein, whereas plants can’t do the same. This is an erroneous assumption for two reasons:

There are plant sources of protein that are complete (for example, chlorella, hemp seeds, bee pollen, chia seeds, and quinoa).
You can combine different plant proteins to make a complete protein in any given meal, like lentils and brown rice. The reality is that plant-based diets contain such a wide variety of amino acid profiles that vegans are virtually guaranteed to get all of their amino acids with very little effort.

There are logical and understandable reasons why animal protein may be more desirable to people, besides taste and convenience. While vegans argue that meat causes cancer and other serious health problems, health minded omnivores will state, and correctly so, that improper cooking methods and poor quality meat (factory farmed), are the causes of poor health issues.

Assimilation

One of the least talked about subjects when it comes to the animal vs. plant protein debate is assimilation. Very few people consider the fact that the amount of protein contained in the food source is rarely the amount of protein your body digests and properly assimilates.

For years, soy protein isolate has been used in protein powders and even baby formula to help increase protein intake. However, what many failed to consider is that conventional unfermented soy is a highly indigestible protein, and assimilation is a fraction of what is printed on the label. In addition, most soy is genetically modified, and unfermented soy enzymes inhibitors can cause serious hormone imbalances.

Generally speaking, good forms of plant protein will be more easily digested than good forms of animal protein. In fact, to better digest animal protein it should be paired with fresh non-starchy vegetables in order to provide the enzymes and probiotics required to break it down properly for optimal digestion.

Furthermore, typical cooking methods of animal protein ruin your ability to properly assimilate it. Today, we usually cook food quickly and at high heat by pan-frying, microwaving, deep-frying, and barbecuing. All of these methods form advanced glycated end products, which are difficult to metabolize, and the problem becomes considerably worse with added sugar (which is present in nearly all sauces that may be applied while cooking).

If you want to avoid these glycated end products to improve your assimilation and avoid negative immune system reactions, cook your food on low heat (up to 180F) with water whenever possible, and avoid adding sugar. Glycated end products, other free radicals, and broken damaged acids are all a result of cooking foods, and cooking faster and/or longer creates more of them. They are all toxic to the body.

Amount of Protein Required

Of course, a big factor in how much protein you actually need depends on your activity level. These numbers vary between “protein experts”. However, the following numbers can provide a guideline:

Sedentary – .8 grams per kg of body weight (160lbs is 72kg which is 57.6 g of protein required daily)
Endurance – 1.2 to 1.4 grams per kg of body weight (160 lbs is 72 kg, which is up to 100g of protein required daily)
Body builders – 1.4 to 2.0 (some say as much as 2.5) grams per kg of body weight (160 lbs is 72kg, which is up to 130g of protein required daily)

With a fairly sedentary lifestyle (inactive to very light exercise like walking), you can very easily meet your protein requirements through a plant-based diet. An endurance athlete will need to know the higher and more efficient plant-based proteins to be able to do the same, and the body builder will have to consistently consume only the most nutrient and protein dense forms, many times a day, in order to meet the right quota.

In the case of body builders, it will likely be much easier to consume animal meat to get the amount of calories and protein they require, but they should be wary of proper combinations with non-starchy protein rich plant sources in order to actually absorb the high level of protein they take in.

However, there are vegan body builders winning competitions on plant-based protein alone, so those needs can be met. If you seriously doubt the ability to build muscle mass on a plant protein based diet, I would ask you to consider where cattle and pigs get their protein to build muscle mass (hint: plant-based sources, not other animals).

Eating Protein

If you do choose to eat animal meat as your primary source of protein, choose those that are raised humanely and not injected with antibiotics, hormones, or steroids and are pasture fed or fed organically. Grass fed beef is a great example of a good source of animal protein.

Also consider how the meat is cooked. Beef and fish do not need to be completely cooked and therefore are much easier on the digestive system. Chicken and pork on the other hand, should be cooked completely, which makes the meat more acidic and much more difficult to digest, which compromises your protein assimilation. (We don’t recommend eating pork.)

When looking at good vegetarian and vegan protein sources, consider chlorella/spirulina, hemp, bee pollen, chia, and quinoa, which are all above 25% protein (quinoa, chia, bee pollen,) all the way up to between 40% and 70% (hemp and chlorella).

When preparing a plant-based protein, cook it gently or not at all. A properly made smoothie can easily yield more than 30 grams of protein in a highly digestible format. Combine this with a quinoa and vegetable dish and you have a protein rich meal.

In the end, you can meet your protein needs with either

Our ancient ancestors, in most parts of the world, ate far more plants than animal protein and certainly did not eat animal protein nearly as often as we do in modern times. We could learn a lot from them and limit the animal protein in our diet as we add in more high quality plant protein to increase the absorption and assimilation of our various protein sources.

If you do choose to ingest animal flesh, please buy meat that you know was treated as humanely as possible. These animal products are better for us, better for the environment, and of course better for them.

And if you decide you want to avoid animal sources altogether, you can certainly obtain the complete protein and calories you require through plant-based sources alone. If you have high protein requirements, it just may take a bit more planning and work in the beginning to ensure you meet your needs, depending on your activity levels.

Complete Vegan Sources of Protein

The following are plant-based foods that contain all of the essential amino acids that make up a complete source of protein.

Chlorella – 58-75% protein
Spirulina – 51-71% protein
Hempseed – 47% protein
Chia – 21% protein
Quinoa – 14% protein
Buckwheat – 13% protein
Amaranth – 13% protein
Soy – 81% protein (look for whole, organic and fermented soybean sources for proper digestion)

Bee pollen, while not vegan, is another plant-based complete protein that is 25% to 40% protein.

It’s nice to know what your complete sources of plant-based protein are, but with a little variety, it’s easy to get all the essential amino acids in your diet. Also, many traditional dishes offer all of the essential amino acids. For instance, brown rice and beans is a complete source of protein. Vegetables have such a wide variety of amino acids, it’s actually easy to just eat a few vegetables and get all of them. Further, you don’t need all of the essential amino acids in one meal, or even in one day, to build complete protein in your body.

Conclusion

If you’re considering reducing your animal consumption, or cutting it out completely (or you already have), know that there are plenty of choices out there. Being healthy is all about eating well, and eating well is all about whole foods. Almost everyone could use more fresh, whole, raw and/or home cooked foods in their diet.

Also, the amount of meat we consume is not sustainable. We as a society cannot continue to eat as much meat as we do unless we turn to lab created flesh or some other scientific answer, which will likely create a whole host of new health problems. But if we reduce our meat consumption drastically, grow some of our own food, start looking at how and where we can grow more food (such as rooftops and stacked gardens), and we buy from local and small scale farmers, not only can we feed everyone well with plenty of land left over, we can also dramatically reduce our impact on our environment (there is nothing more impactful that we could do), radically improve our health, and we could remove a lot of needless suffering, too.

Did we miss any complete protein sources for vegans? Let us know! And if you have any other tips on healthy protein intake, please tell us about them.

Systemic Enzymes

The human body uses enzymes to carry out virtually every metabolic function. While supplemental enzymes play an important role in optimizing digestion, taking enzymes outside of meal times has a powerful effect on the body’s immune response. Using a wide array of different enzymes can provide a full-body anti-inflammatory effect that benefits several different systems in the body.

Enzymes are biocatalysts that are used to carry out and speed up the process of chemical reactions in the body. We have around 3000 unique enzymes in our bodies that are involved in over 7000 enzymatic reactions. We also consume enzymes when we eat raw, sprouted, and fermented fruits and vegetables. Supplementing with an array of plant and proteolytic enzymes has been shown to have powerful health benefits. systemic enzyme

Anti-Inflammatory Activity

When the body is injured or under chronic stress the immune system initiates a protein chain called Circulating Immune Complex (CIC) that causes pain, redness, and swelling in a particular region. This is a beneficial process and early on is a necessary part of healing. However, inflammation is self-perpetuating and creates further insult and irritation to the region. Unless there is modulation of the CIC response, the inflammation can dominate and overwhelm the region of the body creating painful and degenerative conditions.

Non-Steriodal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAID’s) work by blocking CIC activity in the body. This affects all CIC’s, including those used to maintain the lining of the stomach, intestine, liver, and kidneys. This is why long-term NSAID usage causes liver and kidney toxicity, stomach ulcers, and leaky gut syndrome. Every year 20,000 Americans die from the over the counter use of these drugs and another 100,000 end up in the hospital with liver and kidney damage and intestinal bleeding from NSAID usage.

Systemic enzymes work to modulate or coordinate the activity of CIC’s and have no major adverse reactions. They work as a lock and key mechanism and have an affinity for proinflammatory cytokines such as Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) and C Reactive Protein (CRP).

Immune System Modulations

Systemic enzymes help to destroy foreign proteins which include viruses, bacteria, yeasts, and other parasites. They also help to destroy abnormal cells such as cancer cells. They will also destroy excessive antibodies that the body is producing such as in cases of auto-immune diseases.

Anti-Fibrolytic Activity

Fibrosis is scar tissue that the body produces in the repair process of cuts and wounds on the outer and inner surfaces of our body. When we have optimal enzyme stores, the enzymes are used to clean up fibrolytic tissue in the body. However, when our enzyme stores are being depleted due to chronic stress and inflammatory activity, the fibrolytic tissue builds up. When the body has an abundance of fibrolytic tissue build up, we end up with things like fibrocystic breast disease, uterine fibroids, endometrosis, and arteriol sclerosis.

Systemic enzymes eat fibrolytic tissue and prevent the fibrosis of our organs and tissues. They have a remarkable ability to not only prevent all of the above conditions but also to eat up old scar tissue. This includes surgical wounds, pulmonary fibrosis, kidney fibrosis, and even old keloid plaques.

Blood Cleansing Activity

Chronically inflamed individuals often times end up with very thick blood that is loaded with fibrin that can lead to heart attacks and strokes. Doctors often prescribe asprin and in more extreme cases powerful pharmaceuticals like Coumadin, Heparin, and Plavix. These have very dangerous side effects.

Systemic enzymes are able to clear up excess thickening agents such as fibrin from the blood stream and naturally thin the blood. They also break down dead material including dead blood cells, pathogens, toxic debris, and immune agents that have been left in circulation. This helps cleanse and detoxify the bloodstream and enhances circulation and cellular oxygenation.